PMO Leaders vs. Baseball Team Managers

The camera zooms in on the MLB Manager, who paces back and forth in the dugout. He had put in the work to train them, now the team needs to step up the game to pull ahead. He looks at the lineup. The next player is at bat. The batter hits a line drive, a questionable call is made on the player at second base, and the manager immediately takes action to rectify the situation. All good. The player is deemed safe, and ultimately scores the winning run! While the manager wasn’t directly involved in any of the plays on the field, he had prepared the team during months of practice and training, to make sure they had what they needed to win the game. 

Sounds similar to what a successful PMO Leader does, doesn’t it? A PMO Leader is not going to manage projects directly but will provide their Project Managers (aka players…see the newsletter article Project Managers vs. Baseball Players – INSERT LINK) with the strategy, communication, training, and leadership necessary to win a game. Consider the following:  

Ever notice that the team with the best players doesn’t always win the games?  Usually that happens with a team with average players performs beyond their capabilities because they have a great Manager.  There is a reason every year there is a winner of MLB Manager of the Year award.  Just like an MLB Manager can help lead a team to victory, a PMO Leader can elevate the capabilities of his/her delivery team.  The Manager helps to build the culture of the team, sets expectations for performance, provides the tools and training to be successful.  The best Managers realize their role is different than that of the Player.  They need to perform different tasks and utilize different skills to drive success. 

The second layer of the organization may not be the most visible but they are equally as critical to drive team success.   

What can help you, the PMO Leader, keep your project managers motivated and successful? Every month this year, we will publish articles designed especially for PMO Leaders, which will include how to build a PMO, define strategy, establish day-to-day operations of a PMO, which tools and technologies to use, how to measure performance, and the importance of continuous improvement, to name a few. All of this content will be compiled in an eBook at the end of the year that you can use to help you build a successful Project Delivery team. 

We’re excited about this fresh, new approach to deliver valuable content. Share what you feel should be included, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure your project managers get a win every time!